Tokyo, 26 August, /AJMEDIA/
Toyota Motor Corp has accepted California’s exhaust gas emission standards, following a years-long dispute that had prompted the state government to suspend purchases of vehicles from it and other major automakers.
The Japanese automaker said in a statement that it “continues to share the vision of (greenhouse gas) reduction and carbon neutrality goals” with the California Air Resources Board and the state government.
Liane Randolph, chair of the board, welcomed the decision, saying in a tweet, “We are excited to explore their proposals” toward accelerating zero-emission vehicle projects that could help clean up air pollution in California communities.
In 2019, California introduced its own gas emission regulations that were stricter than the goals set by the administration under then President Donald Trump. Ford Motor Co and Honda Motor Co agreed to the standards set by the West Coast state government.
But the Trump government moved to revoke the independent standards, leading California to sue it.
Toyota, General Motors Co and other automakers backed the Trump administration while calling for unified standards on the environmental issue. California Gov Gavin Newsom suspended purchases of vehicles manufactured by such automakers.
Toyota withdrew its support for the Trump administration action in February 2021 after President Joe Biden took office.
“Although we’ve had differences in the past, we look forward to advancing” zero-emission vehicles together on positive footing, Randolph said.
